How Ecstasy Will Blind Us!
by Mowee
Summary: Jonas reaches the bottom of the hill, to find ... what? This fanfic begins directly after the book leaves off.


A/N: I know fanfic topic has probably been overdone, and overdone, and overdone but I had to write an ending as an English assignment, and I couldn't resist posting it. :) I tried something here, so please tell me if you noticed it / if it worked, in the review I'm not very confident when it comes to my writing skills. ^^ 

**How Ecstasy Will Blind Us!   
**by Mori

Jonas's eyes lit up, and his cheeks were flushed pink with excitement. "Just look at that, Gabe!" he cried, kissing the child's head fervently. "Gabe, we're here! We're finally here!" His exuberant voice echoed out over the snowy plains, and as the music grew louder, Jonas fell silent. His eyes were full of awe, and the cold was forgotten. Only Gabriel made soft whimpering noises in Jonas's arms, seemingly oblivious to his guardian's joyous air. 

At long last, the sled began to slow, as the hill came to an end. Light-headed, Jonas tumbled out, falling onto his side. The soft snow bit the flesh of his exposed ears, but he did not feel it, so full of excitement was he. Gabriel, daring not to move, toppled out of the boy's arms, and lay sprawled out on the ground. They lay there panting for a while, arms and legs outstretched in an expression of utter exhaustion, until Jonas found the strength to rise onto his feet. 

~

The community was in a state of elation. After the memories had returned to them, they had all been angry, confused, overwhelmed - there must have been a bit of every existing emotion in the community's reaction. With the Giver's help, however, they had managed to pull through. Now, as Jonas and the Giver had hoped, colored lights adorned their houses, and they laughed all day. It was not the seemingly-forced laugh that they had produced before Jonas's departure; no, this was different. This was a genuine laugh, one that came from the heart. Although Jonas's family and friends had been deeply saddened by his disappearance, they were too caught up in the following events that they did not have time to mourn. Soon, he was simply a distant memory - a revered one, as he had been the cause of their current happiness, but a memory all the same. After all, they had not had the opportunity to truly love him. 

~

Jonas plodded on, as if in a dream, toward the bright lights. Gabriel's small body was cradled in his arms, and the sled lay in the snow behind them, abandoned. For some reason, all the weariness seemed to have left him. There was hardly an ache in his legs, and there was no longer that constant, sickening desire for food. Although he could still hear the ethereal music emanating from the houses with perfect clarity, Jonas's vision became blurry; the evergreens that had slowly begun to appear were now nothing but emerald-colored blobs, shadow-like figures that passed harmlessly by in the corners of his eyes. 

Suddenly, he was falling. Jonas was falling into the arms of his mother, smiling, and his father was laying a hand on his shoulder, from behind. But why was his mother's embrace so cold? And why was his father's hand so heavy? None of this mattered to Jonas, anyway - he was reunited with his family. He could hear their voices, although they sounded so distant, so soft 

"We missed you so much, Jonas!" 

"Look, we even got you a present you'll like it." 

Jonas faintly saw the outstretched hand of his father, holding a wrapped gift: very small, and tied with a silver bow. He smiled, and reached out for it. His fingers closed around the delicate box, but it was as if a thick wall of numbness had entrapped them. It was the same feeling he got when he had been leaning on his arm for too long - he didn't know how to describe it. 

"Jonas-bonus!" Lily cried, her voice louder than those of their parents'. Jonas could not help but wince as his baby-name was used. "I saved a piece of cake for you. I _knew _you were coming back, but no one believed me!" She hugged Jonas - a strangely desperate hug, it seemed to him - and grinned smugly at her mother and father. The Receiver was so full of delight. 

~

"Lily!" Jonas's mother exclaimed, as a glass of juice slipped from Lily's hand, spilling the contents over the clean burgundy carpet. The smell of canned grape filled the air, and she wrinkled her nose instinctively. 

Lily looked instantly abashed. "I apologi-" 

Father, coming to the rescue with a roll of paper-towels, held up his hand to silence her. "No more apologies, remember?" 

Looking relieved, the Nine smiled and nodded. 

Life had been so much easier since the Memories had returned, despite the bad ones: memories of war, and of pain. Even those were worth bearing, if only to have the simple pleasures of color, music, and love. Lily, out of the three inhabitants of their household, was the most content. Music was such a new and wonderful thing to her, and she could amuse herself for hours simply by humming made-up tunes. 

"Hey, what is this?" Father was holding up a piece of cloth that had been partially hidden beneath Lily's armchair. On closer inspection, it seemed to be a shirt. He frowned. "I know, this was Jonas's." 

"It shouldn't be lying around like that," remarked Mother disapprovingly, taking it from him. Inspecting the juice stain that had found its way onto the itinerant piece of clothing, she shrugged and tossed it into the garbage disposal. 

~

Gabriel knelt at Jonas's side, burying his face in the boy's tunic. His mouth was open in despair, and the taste of salty tears was ever present. With stubby young hands, he nudged Jonas's arm, then his back - to no avail. A sob tore itself from the baby's throat, joining the sound of Jonas's voice. 

"I missed you too, Mother oh, I'm so happy so happy" The boy was murmuring to himself in delirium, as the multitudes of snow swirled around his prostrate form. Soon, he was silent, and the only sound was the wailing of a child, alone now in a world of snow - a world of bitter snow, and nothing more. 

~ Fin ~


End file.
